By The Way
by StarFire and Sakura
Summary: [Oneshot] What's the cruelest thing in the world, you ask? Saying I love you and then dying. Spoilers past Soul Society arc, UraharaYoruichi


Her body felt heavy as she fell. Her vision blurred, and although she knew she had screamed, she couldn't hear it.

Hmm. What's going on? I feel odd.

Wow, I sure do hurt. I wonder what happened to me.

Dimly, she heard him call her name. He sounded so distant, and he didn't seem to be getting any closer.

Well, let's see… there's red all around me. What is that?

Argh, can't move my fingers. Oh, wait. There we go. It's blood.

So, I'm surrounded by blood. There's sure a lot of it. Where's it coming from?

Oh, I get it. It's coming from me. I must be dying…

…oh, _crap. _

Soi Fong couldn't believe it. She simply could not believe it. Yoruichi couldn't be dead. She _couldn't. _Yoruichi was invincible. Yoruichi was her idol. And most importantly, it was _impossible _that she could get killed.

Except it wasn't.

A coffin was brought down the aisle. Numbly, Soi Fong could only watch as they buried her body. She couldn't move, and she felt as though she was holding her breath the entire time. Soon the ceremony was over.

She dimly remembered people talking to her, reassuring her, patting her shoulder. She dimly remembered people sobbing, wailing, bawling. She dimly remembered seeing him walk past her, holding the heroine in his arms.

As she finally became aware of her surroundings, she saw there was no one else there. They had all left. Only she was there.

No, wait. _He _was there too. The man that had brought her body back.

Urahara Kisuke.

Even though he was back in Soul Society, he still wore his merchant's clothes and hat. At the moment, he was staring at her grave, his lips sealed, his body still. Soi Fong observed him for a while, remembering that time…

_It was another day, a day when Aizen still hadn't been caught and her idol was gone to the front lines. She had had to stay behind to help maintain order in Soul Society. Her heroine had been gone for a week._

_Soi Fong then felt it; a blast of reiatsu, definitely very far away, yet strong enough to reach her here. She pondered for a moment who it could be, until she recognized it as that of Urahara Kisuke. Was the enemy so powerful that he had to use that much reiatsu? Against her will, Soi Fong felt a pang of worry for him and Yoruichi. _

_The entire day, she waited, concern gnawing at her all the while. Finally, just as the sun was setting in the distance, she had seen a shadow set across the horizon. The orange haired ryoka called out to the figure. The ryoka, along with the former twelfth division captain, his odd crew, and others, had been asked to come to Soul Society to help the war against Aizen._

"_Oi! Urahara!" he shouted. At that moment, the strange man came into better view, and she found that he was carrying something._

"_Huh? Yo! Urahara! What's that you're carrying?" The orange haired boy started forward when, suddenly, the female ryoka gasped and burst into tears. The boy turned back and immediately asked her what was wrong, along with the Quincy and other ryoka._

_She herself stared at the approaching former twelfth division captain, who was heading straight in her direction. She remembered thinking how it was strange that only he was there. Where was Yoruichi? _

_Then, seemingly a second later although it much longer, he was walking right past her. Complete and utter silence. In his arms was an olive skinned woman, her purple hair covering her face and dried blood staining her bright orange clothes. Her eyes were closed, and her arms hung limply, wobbling slightly as the man walked._

_She couldn't speak._

_After he had passed her, she stayed in shock. Her mind was racing, trying to process the information that had just been stuck in front of her face. Eventually, she turned around. All she saw was his retreating back. She felt so weak, as though she would faint._

_She fell on her knees, and, unknowingly, started to cry. It was a silent period, as tears strolled down her face, and only did she felt a drop on her hand did she realize it. Immediately she wiped away her tears and began back to her quarters._

_She needed rest._

And then, of course, came the news to everyone and the planning of her funeral.

And there was Soi Fong now.

Soi Fong gazed at her idol's grave. Tears were, yet again, welling in her eyes. This time, she could do nothing to stop them. They started down her face as she let out a sob. She _couldn't bear it _anymore. She turned and ran. Ran as far as her legs would carry her, sobbing all the while, holding her head in her hands and squeezing shut her eyes.

This time, Urahara really was all alone.

"Yoruichi…" He paused. "Idiot. I warned you, didn't I?" he said softly.

"_Yoruichi, are you sure you want to do this?" he asked earnestly._

"_Huh?" Yoruichi turned to him, obvious bewilderment at being asked this question._

"_You do realize you could die out there."_

_Yoruichi let a bark of laughter. "Wait, you're worried about me?" Seeing the somber look on his face, however, she stopped._

"_You know me well enough to know that I can take care of myself. Besides…" Here, her lips curved upwards slightly. "Soi Fong basically asked me the same thing." Urahara raised his eyebrows. _

"_And?"_

"_AND I told her," her eyes glinted mischievously, "that no matter what, I'll be strong enough to come back alive. Maybe with a severed hand or spewing up blood, but I'll be alive."_

_Urahara couldn't help but smile. Yoruichi always could make him laugh, even in the worst situations._

"Guess you couldn't keep your promise to her, Yoruichi…" he murmured. He remembered it, clear as day. Her scream. How couldn't he?

_They had been surrounded. There were far more hollows then there were shinigami. Dead bodies littered the battlefield. Urahara burst through the battlefield, killing anything in his path. That's when he saw her._

_She was also fighting, using her excellent shunpo to her advantage. Her hair had come loose in the struggle, and her body had obtained various, though minor, injuries. He had been trying to get to her, to assist her, when he had come behind her._

_Ulquiola. _

_It had been instant. Blood splattered her clothes as she let out a shriek. She fell to the ground with a thud. He had been horrified. He had called out to her. She had not responded. _

_At this point, he was demolishing the hollows in an instant, and finally, finally reached her. _

_Realizing she was still alive, he quickly used Benihime and her Bloodmist Shield. It stayed up most of the time, only receding when he quickly attacked another monster. That's when he heard her._

"_Ki… su…ke…"_

"_What is it?" His voice had been gentle, so quiet, in contrast to the hollows and their cries. _

"_I have to… tell… you…" His mind immediately started at that. He was numb. Whenever people said something like that, they were about to…_

"_Don't say anything. You'll be fine." The lie that came out of his mouth. The thing he desperately wanted to believe. The feeble comfort he tried to give. _

"_No…I just… I'm glad I met you, Kisuke…" She became silent, and for a moment, he feared she was gone. His dread was dispelled, however, when she continued._

"_Kisuke… what I mean to say is… I… I love you… there. I said it. Over time… I… I've always felt like… I was gradually… being attracted… to you more and more. Finally, I can admit it…"_

_He was completely numb. Completely silent. _

"_My only regret is… that I can't prove it… but… Kisuke… I'm sorry…" She was crying. It tore his heart to see her cry._

"_I love you… Kisuke…" Her eyes closed. _

_He snapped._

_His bankai was released without hesitation. Hollows were slaughtered mercilessly. Ulquiola had his usual cool as he attacked Urahara._

_There was no way in hell Urahara would lose to Yoruichi's murderer._

_It was over in nearly an instant; Ulquiola's head dropped to the ground, Urahara glancing at the red covered Benihime. _

It was over then. The hollows all fell at the hands of the shinigami. Aizen still had not been killed, but Urahara would make sure he was, and soon.

"Yoruichi… you really are an idiot. You said you'd come back." He sighed and a sad smile grew on his face. "You were never good at keeping promises, though, were you?" The wind whistled softly, as though trying to answer his question.

"Y'know, Yoruichi…" He paused thoughtfully. "I'm glad we met too." He sighed again. "Well, I'll have to go now, I bet. We still got all affairs with Aizen not dead yet. I'll see ya as soon as I can, though. Probably'll have nothing new to report, though." He turned and started to walk away. At about ten feet away, he stopped and turned back to the grave.

"Oh, and by the way," he said casually, "I love you too."

He turned around and walked away.

End

Whoo! Another one shot! I'm sorry to compliment myself, but I love the ending. Hope y'all liked the fic. Please review! Sayonara.


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